Offer
by queeneve
Summary: An artifact from the time of the Ancients cause John and Elizabeth to question who they really are, and why they felt so drawn to Atlantis. COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

Offer

Elizabeth woke from her bed with a start, catching a scream in her throat. There was a terrible pain over her heart, and she glanced down at her chest to get a better look. Her breath caught again, as she found herself looking down at the faint mark of a Wraith's hand. Even as she watched, the mark dissolved from her body, along with the pain. She sat in her bed for a long time, forcing herself to calm down. Her breathing became easier, and her heartbeat slowed.

She looked around her quarters. It was dark, lit only by a solitary slant of moonlight coming from her narrow window. Her quarters weren't much, just a medium-sized bedroom and a smaller room that she used as a closet. Knowing she would not get any more sleep that night, she slid out from under the covers and grabbed her robe, which she had draped across a nearby chair. She wrapped it around herself and walked out of her quarters.

It always surprised her how quiet the city was at night. When they were under constant threat from the Wraith, the city was always awake and filled with an apprehensive sort of energy. There had been no sign of the Wraith for almost two months, so at night they ran Atlantis with a skeleton crew. There was still plenty of activity at the center of the city, but she was on the outskirts, and several levels up. Suddenly she felt nervous about being so far from the heart of the city, so she found the nearest communicator and punched a button.

"Bridge, this is Weir."

"Bridge," one of the tech's responded.

"Would you run an internal scan for me?"

"Is there anything wrong Dr. Weir?"

"No."

There was a moment of silence, and then a familiar voice came from the other line. "Hello Elizabeth, not sleeping well?"

"Zelenka, why are you up? Is there a problem?"

"Not exactly," he said. "One of my team thought they saw something on the censors. He woke me to check it out."

There was a moment of silence. "And?"

"Well, there was something, but we're almost positive it was just a censor ghost."

"Fine. Good work." She cut the transmission and sighed. "It's just a censor ghost." She whispered to herself, but somehow she didn't feel any better.

She kept walking down the dark corridor, wondering why she had requested a scan. If there were any wraith on Atlantis, especially in her room, she would know it. Either that, or she'd be dead.

She crossed an open door that led onto a balcony and stopped. John was standing there, leaning against the railing and looking out at the ocean. Almost as if he sensed her he turned around. He had clearly been in bed too; he was wearing a plain gray t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. His hair was slightly messier than usual.

"Can't sleep?" she asked, slowly walking across the balcony.

John nodded and looked back at the ocean.

Elizabeth leaned against the railing. "Me neither." She sighed, "I had a strange dream, a nightmare really."

"About a Wraith?"

She turned to find him looking at her, puzzled. "Yes, how did you know?"

"That's what I dreamt of." He said, and then shrugged, "Probably just a coincidence."

"Probably. We're all getting nervous, just waiting around for them to attack us again."

Suddenly John smiled. "So, how was your date last night?"

She shook her head, "It was not a date." But as she said it, she felt herself blush.

"Whatever you say, but a private dinner with Rodney? Sounds like a date to me."

"Rodney is—he's a good man." She looked out at the ocean again.

"It's all right," he said after another moment of silence, "It's been almost a year, we all get lonely out here."

"What is that?" she said, as if she hadn't heard him. She pointed down, where the water met the city. There was a tiny craft, barely visible in the moonlight, beating against the wall in one of the inlets in the city.

John squinted at it. "Let's check it out."

Without another word, they left the balcony and wound their way through the dark corridors. The both stopped at what seemed like an ordinary stretch of wall. John pressed his hand to the wall and it slid away. They stopped and looked at each other. "How did we know this was here?" she asked him, and he had no answer.

Behind the wall was another, windowless corridor. There was a long flight of stairs that they navigated without thinking, almost on instinct. At the base, there was another section of wall that slid away, and then they were out on a catwalk that dropped right into the sea. They ran to the craft and watched it for a moment.

"Is it Wraith?" he said.

"No, it looks Ancient. Some sort of escape pod?"

John reached into the water and grabbed at a groove in the pod. "It's really light." With ease, he hefted it onto the ledge. "It's big enough for two." She said.

"That's odd, you'd think they'd only carry one, any extra weight would drag it in the water." He ran his fingers along its surface. There's a depression here. As his fingers ran over it, it began to glow faintly.

Elizabeth squinted at it. "Some sort of control panel?" She reached for it and the glowing stopped. "Strange." She placed one hand on the top of the pods clear surface, and suddenly felt very comfortable, as if it belonged there. "This seems very familiar."

John looked at her, his usual humor gone. "This is important, isn't it?"

Elizabeth nodded, and John pressed his hand onto the impression.


	2. Chapter 2

She was standing on the narrow pathway on the mountainside, picking the precious Healing Flowers from the cliff face and putting them into an old basket. A group of men approached, marching two by two along the narrow path. They bore the symbol of Atlantis on the shoulders of their flawless white uniforms. She stopped in mid-reach, her arm in the air.

"What is your name woman?" a stern looking man demanded.

"My name is none of your concern." She said lightly

He stepped forward and grabbed her wrist and pulled it down. "How many of these Healing Flowers have you taken?"

"I take only what I need." She tried to twist out of his grip, but he only held her tighter.

"These flowers are becoming rare. If everyone just helps themselves, the species will be totally wiped out." With his other hand he grabbed her fingers, and wrestled the basket from her hand. It fell to the ground, spilling the beautiful cream-colored flowers onto the path. The wind picked up, taking one whole flower and sending it up over the men's heads. All the while, the solider gripped her fingers, crushing them.

She clenched her teeth. "Let go of me."

A voice sounded from further down the path. "Move aside." The men parted and a man walked between them. "Release her."

The man let go of her hands and snapped to attention. She dropped to her knees and swept the bruised flowers into her basket. She looked up as she heard the man approach her. He was shorter than the others, and handsome, even by Antlantian standards. He had a strong jaw, short dark hair and green eyes. There was a kindness in his face that she had not seen in the other men. Without looking back at them, he ordered the men away. When they were alone, he dropped to one knee in front of her.

"I thought Atlantian soldiers hated to soil their uniforms."

"I'll have it cleaned." He gave her a lopsided smile, which quickly faded. He took her hand gently and turned her palm upwards. She forced back a blush at the warmth of his touch. He pressed the flower he had into her hand and closed her fingers over it. They were frozen there for a moment before she pulled away.

"What is your name?"

"Maia."

"Tell me why you need so many flowers." He said softly.

"My daughter," she said, looking away, "She's very ill." She picked the last flower out of the dirt and stood. "I have to return to her." She ran down the path without looking back.

Without knowing why, he followed her. He stayed far enough behind so he wouldn't be seen. Maia seemed so preoccupied that he felt he could walk at her side and go unnoticed. For a moment, he found himself wanting to walk beside her, so instead he hung back. She ran along the path barefooted, and her cotton dress ruffled in the light breeze. Finally, she stopped at a small outcropping of rock, clamored over it, and disappeared into a small shack. She let the door slam shut behind her, and it creaked back open on rusty hinges.

He crept to the ledge and was just tall enough to see over it. She watched her working in the kitchen. She took a mortar and a pestle and ground a few of the flowers with a bit of water. Without a sound, he lifted himself over the ledge and stood for a moment at the door. When he stepped onto the old wood floor, she jumped and turned.

"You followed me!" she shouted, "How dare you come here."

"I'm sorry." He said, "I was curious, about your daughter."

"She is not your concern." She slammed the mortar and pestle down and turned away from him. "Now get out."

"In the city, we may have ways to treat her. She could be well."

She gripped the side of the basin that served as her sink. He could see that her eyes were closed tight. "I promise you," she whispered harshly, "there is no place in Atlantis for her—for either of us."

"We have technologies—" There was another creaking sound, and his eyes were drawn to a door at the other side of the room. A tiny girl emerged. She had her mother's dark red hair, but everything else was very strange. Her skin was nowhere near the color of an Atlantian, but instead was a pale, creamy blue. Her eyes were a shade lighter than her skin, and were offset by a pinprick of black in the center. Though one hand was a tiny, blue version of an Atlantian hand, the others had long, thick nails, and though the palm was turned away from him, he knew it held the mark of a Wraith.

Without a thought, he swung the old crossbow that he wore on his back over his shoulder and into his arms. He pointed it squarely at the girl as the tip of the arrow began to glow blue.

"No!" Maia shouted. She ran to the girl and picked her up, turning her back to him. Now the little girl was eye level with him, her eyes boring into him. "I know the Atlantians don't think much of those who live on the mainland," the mother said to him, "but they will not look kindly on a soldier killing a defenseless mother and her child."

"She is _not_ one of us. She is Wraith."

"As is that weapon, if I'm not mistaken."

He hesitated an instant longer before lowering the weapon.

The girl looked strait at him, "Mother." She said, her voice was very small, but sweet. "Mother, I am starving, but it's three days still."

The woman settled her to the ground. "Then it's time."

"Mama, no—" her eyes brimmed with tears.

She put two fingers to the little girls lips. "It will be alright Liu. Just for a moment." Without turning, she spoke to him. "If you do not wish to witness this, you should leave."

Stunned, he didn't move. He watched as the girl lifted her trembling hand and laid it against Maia's chest. A shudder went though her body, then she threw her head back, and screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth sat up and screamed, unaware that she was doing either. She threw her hands out, and found a warm, reassuring touch. She clung to him, grabbing at his arms and finding his hands. It was a moment before she realized that someone was calling her name. She opened her eyes, finding Rodney McKay in front of he holding her hands. "Elizabeth, are you alright?" Then, more quietly, "You scared the hell out of me."

"Yes Rodney, I'm fine." She said, pulling her hands away sharply. "What happened?" She turned her head, finding John sitting up in the bed next to hers. His legs were over the side, and he was holding onto the edge of the bed with both hands. Carson was listening to his heart with a stethoscope.

"Rodney found you at the edges of the city, unconscious. That was sixteen hours ago." Carson said cheerfully.

"Carson said he thought we might not make it." John said, looking up at her and smiling weakly.

"Did you recover the craft?"

"Yeah," Rodney said, "We've been studying it non-stop. As far as we can tell it's Ancient technology. It's probably been drifting since the city fell."

"Ten thousand years? Is it still functional?"

"Of course its power source was depleated a long time ago, but considering it's been in the ocean for so long its remarkably well preserved. I think we might actually be operational."

"Good. Take power from the secondary systems and get it running again."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. This thing nearly killed you when it was dormant—"

"Just do it Rodney. Inform me when it is working."

He hesitated, and then left. Teyla passed him in the hall and stopped at the door. "I heard that you were awake." She said, looking first at John and then at Elizabeth, "Are you ill?"

"We're fine." Elizabeth said.

"Teyla," John said, "Do you sense any Wraith—In the city, or anything?"

"No more than usual." Teyla had been able to sense the Wraith constantly since the first wave of hive ships came to the city. Everyone knew she was frightened by the ability, but she would never admit it to it to anyone.

"As far as I can tell they're going to be fine." Carson checked Elizabeth's pulse before he spoke again. He turned his attention to his patients. "I want you both on bed rest for a day, but if you think you'll be more comfortable in your own quarters—"

She slid off the bed and onto the floor. "Exactly what I was thinking." Her head swam and her knees buckled. John rushed to her and held her up. "I'm fine." She said, straitening up and smiling, "Walk me to my room." He put his hand here on her elbow, but glanced at Teyla and quickly withdrew it.

"You saw it, didn't you?" She said as when they were alone.

John hesitated. "Yes."

"What did it mean?"

"It was probably just a dream. You said yourself, we're all nervous about the Wraith."

"I've never heard of a shared dream, even in Pegasus. I know there's more to this." She sighed. "I had never thought that they're might be half wraith. Do you think—"

John ran his hand through his hair. "I'm too tired to think about this right now." He stopped at the door to her quarters and stepped away. "Goodnight Dr. Weir."

"Amazing." She said softly.

"What?" He said glancing around and then down at himself.

"You must be so much like him."

"Um, sure." He said and walked away.

Elizabeth sighed again as she entered her quarters. She tossed her robe over a chair by her bedside and eased under the covers. She was amazed to find that, despite being unconscious for almost a day, she was exhausted. For a moment she thought of Liu, and put her own hand on her chest before drifting off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mother, are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and found the bright, tearful eyes of her daughter. "Does it hurt much?"

"No darling, the flowers have taken care of it."

"You're lying." She was silent for a long moment. "Mother, you should stop feeding me. Maybe you should just—let me go." She stifled a sob, but she couldn't keep her tears from falling.

"No, I could never do that. Don't you even think of it." She reached out a trembling hand to wipe the tears from her daughter's cheeks. With her non-wraith hand, Liu pressed her mother's fingers against her face.

"As I get older, I need more and more energy. I know you never recover all that I take from you. It—It's killing you." This time a full sob escaped her lips.

"Liu, Liu." She said in a singsong voice. She moved her fingers to her daughter's chin and lifted her eyes. "I make sacrifices, like all mothers do. But I sacrifice gladly to have you near me." She spread her arms wide. "Come, lay with me a while."

Liu smiled faintly, showing her oddly sharp teeth. She clamored onto the bed and into her mother's arms. She laid her head against her mother's chest, and listened to her heartbeat. There was silence between them for a long time. "He stayed, you know."

"What? Who?"

"That man that came. After you passed out, he carried you to your bed, and he tended to you your wounds. Then he sat in that chair and watched over you until he was sure you were safe."

"Hmm," Maia muttered, "How chivalrous of him."

"He didn't tell me his name, but I think I figured out who he is."

"And who is that?"

"When you would take me to the village, I would hear the people talk about the city. They tell stories of a hero there, one of the High Generals. I recognized him from the old weapon they say he carries." Liu's eyes lit up and she spoke in an awed whisper. "He's General Deri."

"He's not important." She said, and drifted off to sleep.

"Elizabeth, wake up." It was Rodney's voice again, a bit hoarser than before.

She sat up and found him standing in the open doorway. "You wanted to know when we got power to the escape pod?"

She nodded, got out of bed and walked towards the door.

"Um—Aren't you going to get dressed?"

She looked down at herself, realizing that she was still wearing her nightgown. "Oh…right." She stood awkwardly, and then turned towards the small room that served as her closet. She closed the door behind her and changed her into her uniform. As she tossed her nightgown into her hamper, she heard something that made her stop. She thought she heard very soft laughter. She listened intently for more than a minute, and she heard nothing but the distant sounds of the ocean. She opened the door and left the closet, and walked silently with Rodney down the hall. He held a tool, which he kept switching from hand to hand. He said nothing, which was out of the ordinary—for Rodney.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I upset you." Elizabeth said suddenly. "You know, before."

"Upset? I'm not upset." He tossed the tool to his other hand. "Who said I was upset?"

She shook her said and couldn't help but smile. It was so like Rodney. "Never mind." She said quietly.

They walked to the lab in silence, and when they got there they found John milling around, watching the pod as if something was about to jump out of it. Elizabeth found herself watching it too, though she couldn't say why. She moved next to Sheppard. "Didn't Carson tell you to rest in your quarters?"

"I think you got the same order." he said, then shook his head. "I can't sleep anyway."

"More nightmares?" she asked, voice very low.

"No, just weird. That guy—he was telling a scientist in Atlantis about Liu."

"Why would he do that? He knows Maia wants to keep her a secret."

"Why does it matter?" he said, his voice very low. "It's not like we can do anything about it—even if it did actually happen."

"Perhaps we can look him up in a database here on Atlantis. He was a general right?"

A panel suddenly lit up on the pod and it emitted a deep chiming sound.

"Rodney, what did you do?" Sheppard said, almost like his old self again.

"Nothing, it came on by itself." He said defensively.

The chiming grew louder and the lights brighter. Elizabeth reached out involuntarily, found Sheppard's wrist and clung to it. Suddenly, there was a massive flash that seemed to go right though her, and her mind went blank.


	5. Chapter 5

Maia came up from the water and took a deep breath of the chilled night air. Even after she had finished bathing, she always wanted to linger here. The spring reminded her so much of her family. But she had to check on Liu. She waded towards the bank nearest the house and reaching for her robe; but it wasn't there. She reached further, padding the damp ground.

"Looking for this?"

She looked up to find the same general standing just out of reach, dangling her robe on one finger. She wanted to shout at him, but knowing he had stayed the day before made her falter. "You again?" she said finally. She leaned her elbows against the high bank of the spring, grateful that the rocks gave her cover. "Give me my robe."

He smiled. "I will, but first, there are some things I would like to know."

"And," she said, reaching farther until the robe was right out of her reach. "There are some things I am not going to tell you." He smirked and pulled it away.

"Fine," she said, "But is it anything I can't tell you while…clothed?"

He handed her the robe, and just stood there. She cleared her throat loudly. He smirked again, and turned around. She scrambled out of the water and wrapped the robe around her. She saw a flash a few feet away, and suddenly a fire was sparked in the pit next to the house. He walked in a half circle and sat on a fallen log. He motioned across the fire to another log. She sat slowly, and watched him for a moment.

"So Liu tells me you're some kind of folk hero. High General Deri, is it?"

He nodded and stared into the fire.

"You're younger then I thought."

"Forget about me for a second. Who are you?"

She hesitated, and met his eyes for a moment. "I already told you, my name is Maia."

"No, I mean, how did you—?"

"How did I wind up with a Wraith child?" she said defensively.

"Is she—yours?"

Maia tensed and fell silent for a long moment. "I—I've never discussed this with anyone, not even Liu." She met his soft green eyes though the flames.

"Then maybe it's time."

"It was the last Wraith uprising."

"Eight years ago." He said, "I remember."

"It happed so fast; we didn't even realize they were here. We heard weapons fire. I ran to the children and into the house, but by then there was a single Wraith solider at the door. He shot me with his weapon, in the shoulder—" Her hand went to her shoulder blade, but she didn't take her eyes from him. There was a kindness in his eyes that she didn't expect, something urging her onward. "As I watched, he gorged himself on my husband and two young children." Her voice broke and her hands flew to her face. She sobbed silently, but after a few long moments, she forced herself to slow her breathing. She looked up suddenly, finding his intense green eyes once again. "After that, he went after something else."

Maia stood up abruptly, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her robe. "It's time for you to go." She turned and walked towards the house.

There was the faintest rustle of leaves underfoot, and then suddenly Deri had a hold on her wrist. "Maia, I—"

A scream cut through the air, and she tore out of his grasp. "Liu!" She ran a few steps before Liu came running out. Maia gathered the little child in her arms. "Darling, what happened?"

Liu was trembling and sobbing. "Mother—the Wraith—" she took a deep breath, "The Wraith are coming!" Her voice seemed to still the air around them.

"Liu, it was just a bad dream." She stood up, holding her daughter close.

"No, it wasn't a dream mother! I hear them. They whisper."

"No more of this talk Liu." Maia said, glancing at Deri. "The people in Atlantis work very hard to keep us safe from the Wraith."

That seemed to appease her, and she sighed and laid her head on her mother's shoulder.

"I'm going to bed now; perhaps you should leave." She strode into the house and let the door shut behind her. She lay with Liu on the bed and stroked Liu's hair until the little girl fell asleep.

It was nearly an hour before the fire went out. Only a few moments later, the door creaked open, and he was standing in the doorway. She only glanced up at him, but she saw that the bright, easy humor was gone from his face and his clouded green eyes. He stood there for a long time, watching the little girl on the bed. "She is truly beautiful." He whispered, and he took a step into the room.

"Yes, and she's so much more than that." Maia replied, not taking her eyes off Liu. "She is a gift."

"I wanted to know something. When she was born," he hesitated, "Why didn't you just—just—"

"Why didn't I just let her starve to death?"

"I didn't mean to imply—"

She shut him down with a look. "My pregnancy was difficult, to say the least. I've heard that the Wraith ordinarily lay eggs, but with me it was…different. I carried her as I did my other children. I nearly died a few times, I knew that the child was feeding off of my energy in order to survive and grow. I was afraid of her…terrified…but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. The night before she was born I had a dream." She closed her eyes. "She was playing in the garden with my other children. There were all so happy, and even as she looks now, it was like she wasn't wraith at all." She moved her fingers from Liu's hair and stroked down her arms to her fingertips. "I delivered her myself, because I was too afraid to let the midwifes see her. Afterwards, I held her in my arms. She looked up at me with those beautiful eyes, and she smiled." Maia smiled too. "I saw something in her face that I never thought I would see in a Wraith. Love." She looked up at him, and found him puzzled. "I don't expect you to understand."

"Maia, if you keep feeding her, you're going to die."

Her smile was sadder this time, but it was filled with love. "And her life is a fair trade for mine? If it takes my life to save hers, then I will do it gladly."

"Fine. Suit yourself."

"It's only a few hours until dawn. If you wish, you may rest in Liu's room."

Deri straitened up and bowed very slightly. Without another word, he went into the other room. The next morning, he awoke to the sun streaming though the window. He stood, straitened his uniform and ran his fingers though his hair. He walked into the sun-drenched room to find Maia asleep in the bed and Liu sitting cross-legged in the garden. As he approached, he could see that she was painting on a large canvas on the wall. It was a picture of two children, a boy of about six and a girl, he guessed about three. "You're quite the artist, Liu."

She stopped painting for a moment. "It's my big brother and sister." She said. "I've always known what they looked like."

"How can you know that?"

"Mother shows me, when I—" she dropped her gaze to her lap. "I wish they were alive." She whispered. "But then I wouldn't be alive."

"I know you feel badly about what happened," he said, "But maybe there's something you can do to help now."

"How? How could I help?" She turned to him, and her pale blue eyes caught the light, making them sparkle.

He sat next to her and brought his voice very low. "If you came with me to the city, you could tell the people there all that you know. And just maybe, we can find something else for you to—eat."

"And mother would get well again?" She heard Maia stir, and she dropped her voice low. "I will talk to her." She whispered to Deri.

Maia stepped into the doorway, wrapped in her long robe. "Sleep well?"

She nodded feverishly. "Yes mother, how are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine, like always."

"Okay." She said, "I picked some Jengi fruit. They say it gives you energy." Maia was halfway to the kitchen when there was a loud knock at the door. Maia jumped and Liu froze, but it was Deri who went to the door. It was one of Deri's soldiers, and he glanced at the woman in the house before he spoke. "High General, the council wants you back in the city right away. There is a…situation."

"Fine." He said, and then turned back to Maia. He bowed deeply and formally before turning on his heel and walking out.


	6. Chapter 6

"Elizabeth, wake up."

She awoke disoriented, and as her senses came back to her she saw that she was back in the infirmary, and Rodney was standing over her. "How long?" she asked, her voice strained.

"Almost a day. Carson said you were in some kind of coma, but he's never seen anything quite like it. Your brain waves were all over the map. Both of you."

"Both of us?" Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she turned, finding John in the bed next to her. He looked dazed. "Well, isn't this familiar." She mumbled.

"You're awake I see." Carson said. He tried to sound cheerful, but they could all hear the worry in his voice. "How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Like I've been run over by an angry truck." John answered. He tried to sit up but thought better of it. He slumped back down, covering his eyes with one hand. "This has something to do with that escape pod, doesn't it?"

"We're sure it does, but we have no idea how. You only woke up when we moved the pod to a make-shift lab at the edge of the city."

"Is it emitting some kind of energy?"

"We don't know yet. We called you as soon as we got it powered, and since then we've been focused on setting up the remote lab."

"As soon as you can, run every test we've got. I need to know if there's a connection. And Rodney, tell Zelenka to search the ancient database for a High General Deri, and a woman named Maia."

"What?" he said, "Who are they?"

"Just do it Rodney." She snapped.

Looking hurt, he stormed from the room.

"When you're feeling a bit stronger, I'd like to take some blood. There are a number of tests I need to run to get a better idea of what's happening. Until then, just stay here and rest."

Elizabeth was more than willing to comply. She sighed and almost immediately fell asleep. Her sleep was deep and, thankfully, dreamless; she awoke feeling a little better. She looked over to find John sitting up in his bed, massaging the back of his neck with one hand.

"How are you feeling?" She said, causing him to startle.

"Better." He said, looking over at her. "You look like hell."

"Whatever this is seems to be harder on me. It would make sense if—" She struggled to sit up. "What if these dreams—or whatever they are—what if their effects are somehow translating into our real lives?"  
He shrugged. "That seems pretty far out."

"We live in the lost city of Atlantis; how can you think anything is far out?"

"What do you think, should we tell someone?"

"We may have to eventually, but for now, I have this feeling that we should keep it between us."

John nodded, and at that moment Carson came through the door, carrying a tray. "I'd like to take some blood, if you're feeling up to it."

Elizabeth nodded and winced as Carson filled a small vial with her blood. After he had taken blood from John, she spoke up. "Carson, I've been having a bit of trouble sleeping lately, do you think you could prescribe something?"

"I don't know Dr. Weir. Ordinarily I would, but we should find out what's going on before I give you anything."

She glanced at John, a bit nervously. "I think you're all making a big deal out of nothing. I'm fine, I'm just—tired. If I could just get a few good night's sleep—"

"Alright, alright." He said, throwing his hands up. "I'll give you a few sleep aides," He said, "but it's a temporary measure." He walked to a counter top, placed the vials in a holder, and produced a little white bottle. "One pill a night, only if you need it. Try warm milk first."

"Thank you Carson." She said, smiling too sweetly. "And since we're feeling better, do you mind if we get out of here?"

He thought for a long time. "Alright, but I don't want either of you going back to work for a few days, at least."

"Fine." She said, and snatched the bottle from his hands. She slid off the bed and walked out, with John close behind.

He fell into step with her. "What should we do about this?" he asked, his face stern.

She shook her head. "I don't know just yet. Right now I just want a break from all these visions while I sort out what to do." She stopped at the entrance to her quarters. "For now, just get a few good nights sleep."

"Right." He said, sighing.

Elizabeth started taking the pills that she got from Carson, and she went a week without a single vision of Maia and Liu. She returned to work, and as the days passed, she started to think that it was just a sign of stress. She wouldn't think about why John shared the same visions.

Seven days after her last vision, she got her usually glass of warm milk and opened her bottle of sleeping pills. It was empty. She cursed softly and tossed the bottle across her room. She hadn't realized how much she had come to rely on the pills to keep from dreaming about that place. She didn't know why, but those visions terrified her. Maybe it was because she hated that the workings of her own mind were out of her control. But, she was afraid of what was going to happen to these people, and what it would mean for her. She looked down at the cup in her hands, and thought about them.

There was a chime from her door that made her jump, sloshing milk onto her robe. She shrugged out of it without thinking and answered the door. Rodney stood there, looking down at a laptop. "I found that file that you wanted. I'm sorry it took so long, but I—" He looked up at her, finding her in her short nightgown and nothing else. He blinked twice. "I—I uh—"

Elizabeth sighed. "Yes Rodney?"

He swallowed hard. "Well, I had to dig it out of the database and, and try to reconstruct the damaged portions, and then have it translated, and we've been really tied up with studying the pod." He stopped to take a breath, "It's quite fascinating really. We figure that Atlantis must have once been stocked with escape pods in case of emergency, but all the bays we've come across are empty. We're assuming that at some point some of the Ancients used it to abandoned the city. That means that maybe some of them didn't ascend, and there could be living—"

"Rodney," she said, "the file?"

"Well, that's just it. We know the pod was altered so that only one person could activate it, and after the second incident, we got an idea. We ran Major Sheppard's fingerprints against the hand impression on the pod. It's an exact match." He turned the laptop around. "Meet General Deri."

"Oh my God," she said, "It's John."

"So it's John now?"

"Rodney please—"

"You're right," he said. "Of course. Fine. I've got a lot of work to do, so just look this over okay?" She took the laptop and closed the door. She walked to the bed and took a long swig of the milk before she settled in with the laptop.

The report was definitely degraded, but it showed her enough to confirm her suspicions. This man—High General Deri—looked exactly like John Sheppard, and he had lived in Atlantis over ten thousand years ago. She started to wish she hadn't asked for the information; it raised more questions than it answered, and frankly, it was scary. If Deri was real, then odds are Maia and Liu were real too. This whole thing was starting to make her wonder who she really was. Was she herself, Elizabeth Wier, leader of the Atlantis expedition? Or was she just an echo of Maia; something left over from a woman who lived thousands of years ago?

Elizabeth turned her attention to the fragmented description of General Deri. From what she could gather, Deri held the rank of captain before the third Wraith incursion, then the Atlantian Council gave him an award and promoted him to High General. It mentioned a few relatives, another High General, and a foot solider a bit younger than him. That was all the report said. She didn't know what good the report do, except maybe to assure her that she wasn't going crazy. But now that she thought about it, she would almost prefer insanity. This whole situation was scary, and she knew it wouldn't stop until she did something about it. Right now, she had no idea what to do.

Sorry I haven't had time to add any authors notes. I've really enjoyed all you reviews and I'm really glad you're liking the story. There's plenty more to come.


	7. Chapter 7

He let the door swing shut behind him as he entered the little cabin. He watched her for a moment. She was sitting on the bed, looking pale and thin. She rolled her head to one side and opened her eyes. She smiled very faintly, "Deri." She said faintly. "I dreamed of you, and you came." She reached out a trembling hand to him. "Maybe I called you to me."

He walked up to her and took her hand in his. "Where's Liu?"

"Sleeping. After the bigger feedings, she always sleeps, it helps her distribute the energy for the maximum effect."

He sighed. "The smell of the flowers is very strong."

"Liu got the idea to soak the sheets in the flower water."

"She's a smart girl." He stepped closer.

"Yes." Suddenly her eyes closed and she winced. "Don't get too close, the flowers are known to have somewhat mind-altering effects. You will not be yourself."

He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them softly. "I don't care." It seemed to bring her back to herself, and she looked at him. His sigh sent his warm breath across her hand. "Maia, this has to stop."

She laughed, "This?"

He took a step closer and held her hand against his chest. "You know what I mean."

She tried to pull her hand away, but didn't have the strength. "If the choice is my life or my daughter's, then you already know what my answer will be. If you came here just to tell me that, then you can go."

He released her hand and sat at her side. "I might be able to help you." He said, "I've brought you something from the city." He pulled a tiny case from his belt, and opened it to reveal a small syringe filled with a slightly opaque liquid.

"What is it?"

"It's derived from the Healing flowers. We refine it and condense it, so it's much more powerful than any of the stuff you have here."

She nodded slightly, but Deri hesitated. "Here, let me help you sit up." Without letting go of her arm, he moved around her, and slid one arm beneath her shoulders. He lifted her up and sat behind her on the bed, setting her back down against his chest.

She turned to him so her face was only an inch away from his, and she gave him a quizzical look.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, as if suddenly realizing how close they were. "I've only ever injected myself." She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder. She laid her arm against his, and he just looked at her for a moment. She was looked so frail, but he knew how strong she was. She didn't even flinch as he injected her. "Did it hurt?" he said, before he realized that she, of all people could handle pain. "You should be feeling really good in a few minutes."

"Thank you Deri." She said, turning her face away. Then she sighed, "You can stay awhile, if you want."

"Hmmm." He said, "I feel….strange."

"It's the flowers; as I said, their effects are known to be—invigorating."

"Oh." He turned slightly, and brushed his lips against her neck. "That must be it."

He laughed slightly, and the feel of his warm breath on her skin made her shudder. She sought out his fingers and they intertwined. "There hasn't been a man in this bed for…so long… I didn't think—"

He kissed her neck very softly, "Don't think." He whispered, and she sighed. At the same time, Deri freed one hand and ran it up her arm, and traced across her slender collarbones. He touched the soft skin of her cheek, and gently brought her gaze to his. She wanted to speak, but wrapped in the warmth of his arms, and with the smell of the flowers everywhere, she couldn't think. She looked into his eyes, and it was as if he could see every joy and every sorrow that she had ever known.

"Maia," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

She stifled a sob and shook her head. With her free hand, she stroked his cheek, and he brought his lips closer to hers. An instant before they touched, she gasped.

Hazily, Deri found that it was not a sound of pleasure, but of pain. "Something's wrong." Her body convulsed, and she dug her nails into his hands.

"Maia—"

She cut him off with a horrifying scream. Her eyes fluttered and shut, and she went limp. He sat there for a moment, clinging to her.

The door to Liu's room swung open and the little girl ran into the room with an urgent expression on her face. She took her mothers hand and looked up at Deri "Lets go." She said.

"What?"

"To the city, you can help her there, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then call your ship and let's go." She turned to her mother, and Deri saw that she wore a knapsack on her back. He tapped the communicator he wore on his wrist. "This is general Deri. I need a transport at my location immediately, have a med kit standing by."

Liu pressed her non-wraith hand against her mother's cheek. "Mother, wake up. Please wake up."

Deri put his hand on the girl's head, finding it cold to the touch. "It'll be alright."

Maia's eyes opened a slit, "No—the city—you can't." she shuddered and went still again.

"Hold on mother." Liu whispered.

They heard a faint humming sound. "The transport's here." Liu stepped back, and he lifted Maia up from the bed. They ran out the door to find the small ship landing in the little clearing. The hatch lowered, Deri ran inside and lay Maia on a medical bed in the center of the small ship.

There were two medical officers in the pod, along with an armed Atlantian soldier. "Sir, the child must remain here." He said gruffly, catching sight of Liu.

She stopped on the ramp and looked at Deri with pleading eyes. "No," he said, reaching for Liu's hand, "She stays with me." The hatched closed behind them and they took off.

The doctor checked Maia's pulse, and then looked up at Deri. "What happened to her?"

"It was X3. I gave her an injection. She must be allergic."

"Impossible. X3 was made especially to be compatible with all Atlantians. The Science council assured us—"

"Well, they were wrong." He snapped.

"General, I—" He threw up his hands, helpless. "I don't know how to fix this."

His eyes fell to Maia, and Deri grabbed her hand and held it tight. Without looking up, he said. "What about the chamber?"

"The healing chamber? It won't work; it's less than experimental."

"But Morai is working on it?"

"Yes, he's head of the project."

He smiled slightly. "Then it will work."

Liu left her mother's side, and walked towards the view port at the front. She stood between the pilot seats and stared out at a vast expanse of water.

"Like the view?" The copilot said, turning to smile at her.

"Yes." She said, "I have never seen the ocean."

He smiled again. "Just wait, little lady." He said, and pointed to a spot on the horizon.

"The city." She whispered.

As the pod drew closer to it, Deri moved to her side, and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes." She said softly, "But I'm scared. I have this feeling—"

He dropped to one knee and looked Liu in the eyes. "You're mother will be well, I promise you. Everything will be fine."

She smiled, but she didn't believe him.

A voice came over the comm., "We won't be able to meet you at the docking bay; all of our medics are currently indisposed."

"This is High General Deri, and I am ordering you to have a team of medics meet me at the experimental lab. Make sure Morai is there."

There was a moment of silence, then "Yes sir."

They landed in the docking bay, and the medic looked at him, almost frantic. "Maybe we should wait for a gurney."

"If we wait, she dies." And without another word, he picked her up and carried her out of the pod.


	8. Chapter 8

Two sections this time, because they're both pretty short. Thanks again for the reviews, I really enjoy reading them!

* * *

John jerked awake, as if from a nightmare. After a few completely confused moments, he looked around, finding himself in Elizabeth's bed. He panicked, and clamored off, almost tumbling to the floor. Suddenly he remembered the dream, or the vision, or whatever it was, and he rushed back to her.

"Dr. Weir, wake up." He touched her shoulders and shook her gently, but she didn't wake. "Elizabeth!" He checked her pulse, and found it very faint. He leaned close to her face, listening carefully for sounds of breathing. There were none. He found his vest, along with his walkie-talkie, laying on the ground next to the bed. "This is Sheppard. I've got a medical emergency in Dr. Weir's quarters."

"One moment." An unknown voice said, and suddenly Carson came on the line. "Sheppard, what's the problem?"

"It's Dr. Weir; she's unconscious and she's not breathing."

"What happened?" Carson replied, suddenly worried.

"I don't know. I—I don't remember." He shook his head. "Listen, you have to meet me in a medical chamber."

"I'm already in the infirmary."

"No, there's a lab that the ancients used. It's near the center of the city, I think. Just track us on the censors. He dropped to walkie-talkie and listened to Elizabeth's chest again. Nothing.

Carefully, he picked her up, and carried her out of the room. He ran through the hallways, not even stopping to figure out where it was, or where he was going. Somehow he just knew. But he did stop when he saw Rodney lying on the ground, unconscious. "They'll find him eventually." He said to him self, and kept running. He jumped into a transporter and hit a location with his finger. It was a part of the city that he had never been before, but somehow he knew what would be there.

He turned a few more corners and entered a large room filled with machinery covered in white sheets. The room lit up as he entered, and some of the devices hummed to life under the sheets. He moved to a device in the center of the room, and he shifted Elizabeth's weight so he could pull the sheet off.

The device looked like an average medical table, but he knew that it was different. He laid Elizabeth down on the table and turned his attention to a control panel built into the side. He punched several buttons, and pressed his palm to the device.

"Hold on Elizabeth." He whispered.

A second later, Carson burst though the door, carrying a large medical case. He caught sight of Elizabeth and started towards her.

"Wait." John said, stopping Carson with one arm.

At that moment, the machine came to life. A sheet of shimmering blue arched over Elizabeth's body. It descended on her so it seemed that she was glowing. It pulsed for an instant, and as it did, her body jerked. The process repeated itself, and this time Elizabeth gasped hoarsely. The field re-appeared, but this time stayed in place.

Elizabeth turned her head to look at them. "Deri." She whispered, and lost consciousness.

"Deri?" Carson asked, "Who's Deri?"

John looked at her through the haze of blue. "I am."

* * *

"You'll be alright Maia." Deri said to her, though she wasn't awake. He put both hands on Liu's shoulders, and she looked up at him and smiled.

"She'd better be alright, or that means my baby doesn't work."

Deri turned, "Yes, Morai, the chamber works fine. And thank you, for saving her."

"Yeah, that's another drink you owe me." He caught sight of Liu and smiled. "Your mom will be fine."

She smiled sweetly. "Thank you very much."

Deri took Liu's hand. "Let's let the doctor do his work. I'll take you for a walk."

They went up a floor. "There's the most amazing atrium upstairs. It's got flowers from the whole galaxy." Deri told her, and he led her up a flight of stairs. She stumbled and fell.

"Liu, are you okay?"

She was silent and still for a long time, but then she smiled up at him. "I'm fine, I'm just—very tired." She was wobbly as she stood up, so Deri picked her up and carried her. He was amazed at how light she was, and at the smooth, cool feel of her skin. They climbed another flight of stairs and walked down another corridor, and entered a large room. The ceiling was a dome that showered light onto the most exotic assortment of plants that Liu had ever seen. "It's so beautiful; mother would love this place."

An older woman in a cream colored dress came up to them. "Hello High General." She said, giving him a little curtsey. She straitened up and smiled at Liu. "I had no idea you had such a beautiful daughter!"

"Oh, she's not mine. She's—"

"I'm his niece." She said, "My mother is visiting from the mainland."

She dug into a small purse she carried with her. "Tell me, do you get much candy on the mainland?" She produced a little ball wrapped in colorful paper.

Liu smiled. "Thank you m'am, but my mother says not to spoil my dinner."

The woman smiled. "Well you just hold onto it then." Still smiling, she gave another regal curtsey, and walked off.

The moment she was out of sight, Liu's head dropped onto Deri's shoulder and her limbs slackened. "General Deri," she whispered, "You have seen the Wraith, and the shadows?"

"Yes."

"But the Wraith can make people see other things too. Like people can see a little Atlantian girl when they are looking right at a Wraith."

"You're saying you've been…hiding yourself?"

She began to cry. "Yes. I didn't want people to be afraid of me. I didn't want them to—" she broke off and took a deep, shaky breath, "I didn't want them to hate me."

"Liu, don't be silly." He said, but he knew that the little girl was right. All the people who had smiled at her and spoke to her, would be terrified by what she really was. "Liu, look at me." She opened her icy blue eyes and stared at him, "do I seem afraid of you? Do I hate you?"

"No, but you're different." She took another shaking breath and then closed her eyes again. "I'm very tired, it takes a lot of energy."

"I'll take you back to my room and you can rest."

She lifted her head. "No, there's something else I have to do."


	9. Chapter 9

"What the _hell_ is your problem?"

"What?" was all John could say. He blinked a few times and looked around the lab before looking back at Rodney. "What are you talking about? What's going on?" He realized distantly that Rodney was holding an ice pack to the back of his head.

"You attacked me in the hallway, that's what's going on."

"What?"

"Rodney, relax." Carson said, "It's a very mild concussion, you'll be fine."

"Fine? I was fine before I got knocked out, now I'm not fine."

"Whoa Rodney, I didn't attack you. I wouldn't—" he stopped, "But then again, I don't really remember."

"Sure. Whatever." He said, and stormed off. He pouted under the pretext of looking at one of the machines in the corner.

"Personally, I think I Rodney could use a knock on the head, but I don't think it should be a policy. What exactly is going on with you two?"

"I don't know." He glanced at Elizabeth, and remembered his promise that he would tell anyone about the visions. But he had to assume that the promise only held as long as their lives weren't in jeopardy. "Actually, I might have some idea what's going on. Since we found that pod, we've been having—visions."

"Like dreams?"

"Yes—No—I don't know. At first I guess, but now they're coming out of nowhere."

"Well, maybe it's stress." Carson offered.

"Sure, but then every person on this mission would be a hallucinating mess."

"You have a point there."

John shook his head and looked over at Rodney, who had returned to the bed, and was looking at the control panel. He poked a few buttons and the bed emitted a low, negative sounding chime. He tried again, and the chime sounded again. "Why doesn't this thing work for me?" He said, glaring at Carson. "I've had the gene therapy."

"If the gene wasn't working, it wouldn't respond to you at all, Rodney. It won't let you in because you don't have clearance."

"What? That's ridiculous; how would it know something like that? Wait—" he said, taking a few steps forward. "How do _you _know something like that?"

"I just do."

"But this text is written in ancient. You can read ancient?"

John shrugged, "I guess I'm just full of surprises."

Elizabeth stirred in the bed and mumbled something, and all three men turn to look at her. She opened her eyes slowly, looking first at John. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but she caught sight of the others and reconsidered. "What happened? Where—"

"Don't worry Elizabeth." Carson said, "You're still on Atlantis, at a lab near the center of the city. Well, we're not really sure what happened, but John found you in your quarters and he said you weren't breathing. He took you here and managed to activate this machine."

"You left something out." He said, indicating the ice pack.

"Well, then there's that—"

"What happened?"

"Apparently I…attacked Rodney in the hallway." John said.

"Apparently?" Rodney grumbled.

"Calm down Rodney, I wasn't exactly in my right mind."

Elizabeth seemed to notice the sheet of blue for the first time. "How do I get out of this thing?"

Carson looked at Rodney and he shrugged his shoulders. "How should I know?"

"Here." John said. He pushed between them and tapped a few keys on the panel, and the sheet dissolved. He ignored the jealous glance Rodney gave him.

Before she could move, Carson checked her pulse and smiled. "Well, how are you feeling?"

"Great, considering. This machine is incredible." She sat up, and John held out an arm to help her. This time, he couldn't help but notice the twinge of jealousy on Rodney's face.

He released her, and cleared his throat, a bit awkwardly. "Well, I'm going to go, file a report or something." He said, and walked off.

"Elizabeth, seeing as how I have no idea what this machine has done to you, I'd like to run tests, and keep you under observation for a few days."

"Of course." She said

"We'll keep you here for the time being, I'll have a team bring down some supplies." He smiled and walked out.

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed her neck before looking up at Rodney. "So, I'm guessing you'll want to tear this thing apart to see how it works."

He smiled despite his bad mood, and reached for the control panel. She stopped him with a hand. "Just not yet; I still need a place to sit."

"Sure." He said, and was silent for a long time. "I know you practically just came back from the dead, but I have to know—"

"Why was John in my bedroom?" She said, smiling, "I don't really know how to explain it."

"Give it a shot." Rodney said, exasperated.

"It started when we found the pod. Both John—Major Sheppard and I started having these visions. They go back ten thousand years, to when the Ancients occupied the planet. We are two people who lived there, Major Sheppard is an Atlantian General named Deri, and I am a woman who lives on the Mainland, Maia."

"You do realize that this sounds totally insane, right?"

"But it's not insane Rodney. I don't know how, but I know this is real. This really happened."

He sighed. "Whatever you say."

"In any case, I believe that whatever is happening to us in these visions is starting to affect our real lives. I guess you could say we're acting them out."

He raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's not like that. It just so happens that they we're in the same room at the last…point. So naturally he came to me, here on Atlantis. Maybe he just knocked you out so you wouldn't get in the way."

"Well, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks—why are you smiling at me like that?"

"You're jealous. You think there's something between me and Major Sheppard, and you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous?" He paused, "I mean, there isn't anything to be jealous of—right?"

"No, of course not." She sighed and grabbed his hand, "I don't know what's happening to me. I just need some time, okay?"

He smiled at her sincerely, "Fine."

"Well, seeing as how I just came back from the dead, I'd better get some rest." She lay back on the bed, and noticed that he didn't let go of her hand. "You don't have to stay."

He smiled again. "It's all right. I don't mind."

* * *

Did I post yesterday, I can't remember. If not, sorry, but I'm super busy with school and work and other work and the novel. Oh well. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Eveie


	10. Chapter 10

"Deri." She said, looking at the general through the sheet of blue. "What happened?"

"You had a reaction to the medication. I'm so sorry Maia, I didn't know."

"There was no way you could know." Her voice was tired, but calm. "We're in the city, aren't we?"

"Yes. It was actually Liu that convinced me to bring you here. It was the only way to save you."

"It's alright." She said softly, "Thank you, for saving me."

"I'm afraid I can't take the credit." He punched a few buttons on the control panel, and the sheet of blue dissolved. Very slowly she sat up, and rubbed her neck with one hand.

Another man stood beside Deri. He was shorter, slightly older, and smiling. "I'll take the credit." He said, and bowed very slightly, "and you're welcome."

"Maia, this is Morai. He's one of the leading scientists on Atlantis, and he designed the device that saved you."

He held out his hand, and she took it. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Deri's told me about you…and Liu." He looked as if he might kiss her hand, but she pulled it away.

"Liu! Where is she?"

Deri looked away from her.

"What? What is it?"

He turned back, but would not meet her eyes. "Liu decided to give herself over to the scientists for study. She told me she thought you'd both be safer if she was confined."

"There's no need to worry." Morai added, "I'm the one in charge of the project, and I promise that no harm will come to her. You can rest assured, in fact, you'd better rest."

"No, I want to see her." She dropped to the floor and swayed on the spot. They both reached out to catch her, but she glared at Deri and tore out of his grip. "I'm going to see my daughter." She stood unsteadily and stormed out of the room.

Deri turned to go after her, but Morai stopped him. "Hey, give her a couple minutes to cool off."

"Another brilliant pearl of wisdom from your third wife?"

"Forth." He said with a smirk. Suddenly his face grew sober. "I promise that I won't let any harm come to Liu. But she won't believe me if I tell her myself."

Deri nodded, and slowly left the room. He walked though the corridors at an easy pace, remembering what his friend had said about giving Maia space. But eventually he made it to the lab where Liu was being kept, and he found Maia arguing with the armed guard at the entrance.

"She is my daughter, and I demand that you release her to me at once."

"Ma'am, my orders are to let no one inside." He shifted his firearm ominously.

Maia shoved her finger into his face. "Do you think you can frighten me with that? Do you have any idea…" Suddenly she trailed off and her hand went slack. Her knees went out, but Deri was there to catch her. "Maia, listen to me. Morai will be sure that no harm comes to Liu."

"And you trust him?"

His clouded green eyes were unfailing. "With my life." He put one of her arms around his shoulders and held her tight by the waist. "Come on, I want to show you something."

"I want to see Liu." She said softly.

"Well, it looks like you're too week to argue. Let's go."

* * *

Elizabeth woke, still on the bed in the newly discovered medical lab. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"Only an hour." Rodney said.

She sat up and saw him walking towards her. "You've been here the whole time?"

"Yeah, I've been checking out some of the equipment here. It looks like amazing stuff, not that I can really tell what it does, and I can't get any of it to work."

"Funny, your gene therapy should allow you to operate anything on the base."

"Tell that to this thing." He tapped at the control panel, which refused to light up. "Damn." He whispered.

Dr. Beckett rushed into the room with John close behind. "Dr. Weir," he said hurriedly, "I'm glad your up. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine Carson. Is something wrong?"

"No, well maybe, maybe not. Possibly."

"The doctor says my DNA's screwed up." John said, crossing his arms. He stopped a foot away from the device and it hummed to life.

Rodney threw up his hands in frustration.

"Oops." John said flatly.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I've been running some tests on Major Sheppard, and I found something very odd in his genetic make-up. Major, your DNA has—mutated."

John looked puzzled. "Like the X-men?"

"No, not like that. You had normal human genes before, but now, they have a structure similar to the Ancient gene. All of them

Rodney spoke up. "That sounds a lot like X-Men to me." John rolled his eyes. "Well, not like I would know, I mean I don't—"

"Quiet Rodney." John muttered.

"It must have something to do with this—this—thing you've been going through. I suspect if I examined you Elizabeth, I'd find the same thing."

"Find what Carson?"

"John, and you too, don't just have the ancient genes. You—are ancient."

* * *

Sorry about the little unplanned hiatus. I had a couple of really late nights. Last night I saw Wicked. It was awsome. 

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me. Enjoy!

Eveie


	11. Chapter 11

Deri stepped out onto a narrow outcropping of metal outside of his window and glanced back into his quarters. "Come on Maia."

She reached for his hand and he helped her out the window. "It's beautiful." She looked out across the spires of the city and out at the vast ocean. She sat slowly, leaning against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I used to be afraid of heights." She said, distantly. "It seems such a small fear now."

"And I used to be scared of Wraith." He smiled.

Suddenly she found herself near tears, "You're right. I've told myself all these years that Liu is not Wraith, like if I wished it, it would be true." She was silent for a moment, calming herself. "But it's a lie. Liu is Wraith, but she is also my daughter."

"Maia, I didn't mean—"

She ignored him. "I know why I reacted to your medication." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "The flowers are well known for their purity, and according to you, the serum was an extremely concentrated form. It seems that once a person carries something impure, their body will not tolerate it."

"So the flowers don't help?"

"Not much. But Liu believes they help, and it gives her hope." Maia stifled a yawn with one hand. "She is a wonderful child. She can't help what she is, and who her father is."

"You don't have to worry about him." He said distantly. He looked down to find her eyes closed. "You're exhausted."

"Mmmhmm…"

"Come on, time for bed." He said, gently picking her up. He brought her gently through the window and laid her on his bed.

"Liu—" she whispered.

"Sleep for awhile Maia, I'll work on getting her back."

Her eyes were closed thought she was asleep, but as he moved towards the door, she turned her face towards him. "Damn you." She whispered.

"What?"

"Before I met you, I wasn't so afraid of dying." Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, he couldn't bring himself to leave. He sat beside her and watched her sleeping. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Maia, you don't have to worry any more." Very reluctantly, he left her side and headed towards the lab.

When he arrived, he found that the guard was missing. He pressed his palm to the entry panel, and the door slid open for him. Inside was a controlled panic. Scientists in Atlantian lab uniforms ran back and forth between control panels. Some were packing sensitive equipment into boxes. A small cluster of scientists stood at the other end of the room by a shielded enclosure. They were looking over some kind of medical data and murmuring worriedly to each other. It seemed that Morai was the only one standing still, he stood in front of the shielded enclosure with his arms crossed.

Deri charged through the room and stopped at his friend's side. Liu was lying on a small bed, her face turned towards the wall. He caught the worried expression on his friends face.

"What's wrong with her?" he demanded.

He shook his head. "I don't know, she had some kind of seizure a few minutes ago, but she seems to be resting now."

"Seems to be? Why aren't you in there treating her? Why is everyone just running around?"

"Everyone's afraid of her." He said softly.

"I'm not." He said, "Let me in there."

"Deri, I can't let you do it. If the Council—"

"Screw the Council." He moved to the control panel, shoving a nurse out of his way. He reached for the pad.

"Deri—"

He turned to Morai, green eyes burning. "Mor, she's a little girl."

He turned away. "Fine." He turned his head and shouted. "Everyone out, we need some privacy here!"

Everyone hesitated and looked at him, and then dropped what they were doing and left. Morai was the last to go.

Deri dropped the force field and knelt at the little girl's side. "Liu."

She turned to him, her pale blue eyes dull and distant. She managed the weakest of smiles.

"You're starving, aren't you?"

"Yes, it won't be long now." Her voice was blank, totally emotionless.

"No Liu, I won't let it happen. I'll get your mother, or—"

Suddenly she turned away, "No, I don't want it anyone."

"Liu, what are you talking about?"

"I can't—" Liu said, her little voice trembling, "I can't let my mother suffer any more. Not for me. I—I would rather die."

"No Liu," He touched her chin and brought her eyes to meet his. "Did you every think what you're death would do to your mother?"

"She'll get over it. At least she'll live." She jerked her head away from his fingers and turned away again. "It's better this way. She can stay here with you. You take care of her."

He sighed. "There's just one problem with that. I promised her that I would protect you." He picked up her wraith hand, and thought about how this innocent, frail little girl could be part of something so terrible. Suddenly she jerked up in bed, as if waking from a nightmare.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. She tried to pull her hand away but he held it tight.

"I'm sorry Liu, I made a promise." He pressed her hand against his chest.


	12. Chapter 12

It was John's turn to wake with a start, but this time there was more than just a dull pain and a nightmare that woke him. There was an intense, searing pain that radiated out from his chest and spread down his arms and legs. He couldn't speak, and could barely breathe. He looked down and found his t-shirt soaked in blood.

Carson was suddenly standing in front of him, and dimly he realized that he was in the medical lab. He tried to ask what was happening, but all that came out was a chocked cough. His hand went to his mouth and came away bloody.

"Sit back," Carson said, trying to sound calm. John fell back against the pillows.

"Carson, what's going on?" Elizabeth rushed into the room with Rodney close behind.

Rodney saw John and cursed under his breath. "It was a Wraith?"

Carson shook his head. "It looks that way, but it can't be. I was here the whole time. He just lost consciousness and these wounds appeared.

"What if the wraith can hide themselves? Make you think that the room was empty?" Elizabeth asked.

Rodney spoke up. "They may be able to fool a human, but not the censors. We'd know the second the Wraith entered the solar system."

Carson cut through John's shirt, and John winced as he pulled it away.

"John," Elizabeth said tenderly. She reached for his hand, and holding it seemed natural. "John, it's going to be alright."

Carson injected John with something, and that, combined with the pain, made him pass out again.

Distantly he heard Rodney's voice. "That's real blood. This has to be a Wraith attack…"

"Deri, what happened? I heard a—" Morai feel silent as he surveyed the scene. Deri was slumped against the bed, clutching his chest. Liu was pressed against the wall, with her hand cradled against her chest. "What happened here?" he asked, though he already knew.

"It wasn't my fault!" Liu screeched frantically, "He made me do it!"

Deri coughed, spattering blood on the ground. "She's right. It was my idea."

"I don't understand—"

"She was going to die, Mor. I couldn't let it happen."

"You need treatment."

Deri held out his hand. "No…I'll be fine in a minute. I'm going to get out of here, and take Liu with me."

"That's not smart. We can't have a Wraith wandering around the base. It's just not safe, for anyone."

Suddenly Liu spoke, suddenly very calmly. "It's okay." She slipped off the bed and smiled, and suddenly Morai found himself looking at a young blonde Atlantian girl. "I'm strong enough to hide now."

"Incredible…" Morai whispered.

Deri stood up very slowly and held out his hand to Liu. "Well, let's go."

As the walked past, Morai stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the pained look on Deri's face. He spoke in a very low voice, so Liu wouldn't hear. "It's a moot point anyway. There's a problem with one of our experiments that I'd like to see to personally."

"The parasites?"

Morai nodded, "Somehow they've…taken the Unas as hosts."

"Damn, I knew those things were a bad idea."

"In any case, I don't trust anyone but me running this project, so I'll leave her with you." He looked down at the beautiful little Atlantian girl and smiled. "Take care of her; she's a very good girl."

Deri smiled, patting his friend on the back. "I know."

They left the lab and walked through the corridors towards his quarters. Liu looked up at him, puzzled. "What's an Ooonas?"

He sighed. "The Unas are a species on one of the planets that we're using for an experiment. You don't have to worry about it."

She squinted at him. "The experiment…it has to do with healing?"

"We thought it might—wait, how did you know that?"

"Can it help mother?"

He looked down at her innocent, hopeful face, and couldn't bear to tell her the truth. "Maybe, we'll have to just wait and see."


	13. Chapter 13

Teyla's voice woke him, and he saw the soft light of candels behind his closed eyelids. "John, be calm."

"What's happening?" John said, eyes still closed.

"You must have had another vision. You've been mumbling."

He opened off his eyes to find that the room was lit with candlelight. "What's all this?"

"My people believe very strongly in spiritual matters. We believe that this is an attempt by the spirits to communicate with you."

"Lucky me." She looked over and found Elizabeth in the adjacent bed. "How is Maia—Dr. Weir."

Teyla smiled, "She is fine. And you?"

"I'm okay. Pretty confused, a little dizzy."

"You still need rest." She said.

"Teyla, what do you…think about all this?"

She looked down at her hands. "Though my people believe, I have never seen a spirit for myself. But then again, I would never have believed in a place like Atlantis." She smiled at him.

He sighed deeply. "Liu, what do you think of her."

She looked away. "I don't know. She appears to be—different."

"Teyla, you don't have to be afraid of her."

She turned back to him, looking distant. She smiled hollowly. "Rest now; I will watch over you."

He was exhausted, and sleep soon overtook him.

When they got to his quarters, they found Maia sitting at the edge of the bed. Deri staggered and managed to land on it, at Maia's side. He fell backwards and she stared at his wound. "Deri, no, you didn't—"

"He made me do it mother." Liu said. "I didn't want to."

"It was my choice." He said, gasping. "I couldn't let her—"

"You shouldn't have done it." Liu shouted, and started to cry. "Mother, I told him—"

"Liu," Deri said, "come here." Timidly, she crawled onto the bed and sat at his side. He touched her face with one hand. "I did it because I wanted too. I would do it again; because I care about you."

"I believe you." She said, and smiled.

Maia looked at the little blonde girl in front of her and frowned. "Liu," there's no need to hide from us."

"Mommy, I'd always thought that it would be better this way. If I was normal—"

"Don't you ever say that," Maia said, her voice stern, but loving. Liu turned to look her in the face. "You are my daughter, and you couldn't be more beautiful to me."

"Or to me." Deri echoed.

She smiled insecurely at her mother and let her illusion slip. Soon they found themselves looking at the blue skinned light blue-eyed girl.

"There." Maia said, smiling. "So much better."

Suddenly Deri winced and grabbed at his chest. "You need treatment." Maia said, eyeing his wound again.

Without a word, Liu slid off the bed and retreated into the side room.

"I'm worried about her." Deri said breathlessly.

"That makes two of us," she said, "But right now I'm more worried about you. You need help, but I don't know what to do."

He reached up and touched her face. "I'll be fine. I just need to—" He winced again, but didn't pull his hand away.

There was a chime at the door, and she got up to answer it. There was a slight young lab assistant holding a small case. She seemed a bit shocked to see a woman at the door, but she recovered quickly.

"Head Scientist Morai thought High General Deri might want this." She said timidly, holding out a small medical case.

"Thank you." She closed the door and turned back to Deri. "How's that for timing?" she said.

He tried to laugh, but his voice faltered. She sat at his side and opened the case. It contained a small bottle, a cloth and a the opaque liquid. "Oh," Deri said, "This is a surface antiseptic, and this is the intravenous medication. And this—"

"Is a bandage. Remember, I've treated many wounds"

"Right, Sorry."

"Alright," she said, "Take off the shirt."

He raised an eyebrow and she smiled at him. "Fine, I'll help you."

He leaned up slightly and she pulled the shirt up over his head. It was covered in blood and torn where Liu had fed. "I think it's a loss."

"I'll have it cleaned." He said softly, and she dropped it to the floor.

She took the antiseptic from the bottle and wet the cloth. "You're very lucky to have such wonderful medications. And to live in this wonderful city." Gently she patted the soft cloth against his wound.

"You should stay."

"What?"

"You can both stay here...with me."

"No, I can't." She looked at the door to the other room. "We can't. We don't belong in the city, and we never will." She resumed her activity, and she could smell the sweet scent from the flowers.

"You can. If you give these people a chance, they'll love Liu, just like I do. We may even be able to someone else to feed her."

She pulled away from him and grabbed the syringe. "Hold still." She injected it into the crook of his arm, a bit roughly.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"We'll go back mainland, but we won't go back to the house. We'll start fresh somewhere else where the your people, and the wraith, won't find us."

"And I'll never see you again?"

She pressed the bandage over the wound and smoothed it out. "Probably not." Her voice was calm, but she turned her face away to hide her tears.

He sat up and reached for her face, turning her eyes to his. His eyes were intense and smoldering, but his voice was gentle. "Maia, I swear that Liu's father will never harm her."

Tears were spilling down her cheeks now. "How can you know that?"

Suddenly, He leaned forward and kissed her, tenderly, but passionately. For a long moment, she gave in, and reluctantly, she pulled away. "What was that for?"

"I just wanted to do it before I told you—" He stopped suddenly, "I know he'll never find you, because I'm the one who killed him."


	14. Chapter 14

_Deri walked along the narrow mountain path followed by two superior officers. They had ordered him to lead, and he had obeyed without question, but he knew that they only did it because they were afraid. If the Wraith showed up, he'd be the first to go. _

_But his family saw that the Wraith were an underestimated enemy, and since he was a child, his brother and father had taught him about the wraith. He had been trained by them to sense them, and to fight them. He had a better chance against a Wraith then anyone on Atlantis. He'd be fine._

_The rounded a corner and saw an outcropping of rock, and deep within the growth was a tiny cabin. He saw a shadow flicker out of the corner of his eye, and he held out a hand to stop the other men. "Wraith." He said._

_"How many?" Said the older man. The fear was evident in his voice._

_"Just one." Deri replied darkly, "A big one, and he knows we're here."_

_The door to the cabin opened and the largest Wraith Deri had ever seen stepped out. His blue skin stood out against the greenery. _

_"Move," Deri whispered harshly, "Now!"_

_They moved past him and into the small clearing. Deri crouched and fumbled with his bulky shoulder holster. The other officers already had theirs out and drawn. The one closest to the Wraith aimed, and his weapon made a soft whirring sound. _

_The massive beast turned, terrifying ice-blue eyes zeroing on him. Before anyone could react, the Wraith was upon him, and the man was dead. Then he turned to the other man, and when their eyes met, he froze. _

_"Fire!" Deri shouted, "Shoot him!"_

_The man fired into the Wraiths gut, but it kept coming. "Again!" Deri shouted._

_The Wraith swung a strange weapon that looked like a crossbow up over his shoulder. It landed in his hands and a slender, deadly arrow rose from the middle section. The tip glowed a terrible, brilliant blue for an instant before he fired it._

_In a moment, it was over. The arrow hit the other man's heart, and he fell backwards, dead. _

_Deri had a heartbeat to decide whether to run, or fight; but he had never been one to run from anything. The Wraith charged at him with terrifying speed. He picked Deri up by the throat so they were eye level. A tense moment passed before Deri spoke. "Well, aren't you going to eat me?" he said, his voice strained._

_The beast growled and glanced towards the house. "No, I've had my fill." He squeezed Deri harder. "I think I'll enjoy crushing your throat instead."_

_Suddenly Deri smirked. He was keeping another secret, and another weapon. He always kept a small dagger tucked in his boot. It was against regulation, but apparently, it shouldn't have been. "Well," he said, "Think again." _

_In one quick movement, he pulled his leg up, and grabbed the dagger. As hard as he could, he pulled it upwards, towards the heart. The Wraith growled and his grip slackened, but he did not let go. Deri pulled out the blade and drove it into the Wraith's shoulder. He dragged it along the flesh, cutting deep. He hit the strap of the weapon, and knocked it off his shoulder. Finally, the Wraith released him. He scrambled along the ground and found the weapon. He pulled it into his hands and pointed it up at the towering creature. "Step back." Was all he could think to say._

"_Fool." He said, "None of your kind can use this weapon."_

_He realized that he had no idea how to use the thing, but he focused on it all the same. The dart flew upward and glowed. "Looks like I'm full of surprises."_

_He fired one shot upward at his gut, hoping that it would pass the ribcage and hit some vital organs. He fired another as soon as he could, this time at a knee. The wraith fell down on the other knee. Deri hit him as hard as he could with the butt of the gun, and amazingly, the thing fell backwards. He clamored over the wraith, and pointed the weapon squarely between the eyes. He stared him down, and the wraith just laughed. _

_He fired.

* * *

_

Short chapter this time, but pretty intense, and in case you are sloooowww...it was a flashback (that's why the italics).

I love you all, please keep reviewing!

Eveie


	15. Chapter 15

Maia lay against the warmth of Deri's chest. She would be crying if not for the effects of the flowers. Instead she felt calm, almost content. "Incredible. I've never heard of anyone taking down a wraith before—not alone."

"But that's not the worst part. After, what I did, I headed towards the cabin…your cabin. I went inside, and I saw your little girl." He hesitated for a long moment, "She must have been so beautiful once." She looked up at him, and his eyes were brimming with tears. He looked away. "I saw her, and I saw you, I just couldn't stomach it. I turned around and left you there."

He wouldn't look at her, but her silence scared him. He blinked away his tears. "Then, when I got back, they rewarded me with this promotion."

"In the guard, do they train you not to cry?" She asked at last.

He turned to look at her. She had one ear pressed to her chest, and there was a slight smile on her face. "I'm not angry with you. Terrible things happen to everyone, and we all do things we regret."

"Not like this. I should have helped you. I should have taken you back to the city."

"And if you did? Do you really think that they would have tolerated one of us carrying a wraith child?"

He was stunned for a moment. "You wouldn't have given her up." He said, but he wasn't sure.

"I don't believe that I would be given a choice." She sighed, and suddenly realized that she was resting against Deri's wound. "You must be feeling better."

"I guess so."

"You should rest."

"I'll be fine in a minute. I'll bet the first time is the hardest."

"The only time." She said, sitting up.

"Maia—"

"Stop it. I made Liu promise she would never feed off anyone else."

"That's fine for now, but let's be honest. What about if you die? _When_ you die? What will happen to her then?"

She climbed off the bed and turned away from him. She walked to the window and stared. "I don't know. Sleep for awhile; I'm sure you'll feel better." She stepped out onto the ledge and out of site.

Maia sat against the wall, staring at the garden on top of one of the spires. Some time must have passed; she dozed. When she awoke, Liu was leaning out the window. "I can't believe it." She said.

"What?"

"Look, there's another garden." She pointed into the distance to a dome atop one of the spire. "Those are—"

"The healing flowers." Maia watched them for a long time. "They said they were so rare. They lied."

Liu stepped out and wrapped her arms around her mother. "Deri doesn't lie."

Maia sighed. She had learned long ago not to question her daughter. She was always right. "I can tell," Liu said, as if they had never been through it before. "When I—feed off of someone, it makes a connection between us. I can hear some of their ideas, and feel some of their feelings, and—" she looked up at Maia, and blushed very slightly. "He really likes you, Mom. I think he's in love with you."  
The door chimed, and then there was a loud knock. "General Deri, open the door immediately."

They inched along the ledge and entered the room just in time to see Deri reach the door. He opened it and found Morai standing there, flanked by two guards.

"Are you back already?" Deri said, a bit groggily.

"The situation is resolved." He said, his tone professional.

"What's up?"

"I'm going to take the child back into custody."

"What? You can't, you said—"

"I said I was the only one who could run the project. I have returned, and I am going to resume my research."

Maia gripped Liu's hand and walked forward. "You're not going to take her."

"It was allowed once before."

"I was unconscious before." Maia shouted, "I promise that you'll have more trouble this time."

"There's not going to be any trouble." Deri said loudly, then softly to his friend. "Morai, buddy, cut them some slack. She's just a little kid. Can't you do studies on the samples you've already collected?"

"No. The Wraith is a valuable resource, and it must not be wasted."

"I'm not a Wraith!" Liu screamed.

Morai signaled to the guards and they charged into the room. One of them grabbed Liu's wrist and pulled. "No!" Maia cried, and grabbed her daughter around the waist. The guard pulled harder and Liu cried out.

"Morai, what are you doing?" Deri said urgently, stepping forward.

Morai pulled a small weapon from his belt and pressed it against Deri's chest. "You're impeding a scientific pursuit."

"I'm High General."

"The High Council has decreed that the pursuit of discovery is the highest priority." He recited, "Any action may be performed above the objection of all officers but those on the High Council. Any objector may be dealt with at the discretion of the Head Scientist."

There was silence for a moment, and suddenly grabbed Morai's wrist. He twisted the weapon from his hand and snapped the wrist back. Morai recoiled, cradling his wounded hand against his chest. With his free hand, he shoved Deri down against the side of the bed.

Liu smiled at her mother. "It will be alright Mommy," she leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Deri will find a way." She jerked out of her mother's grasp and let the guard take her out of the room.

Morai looked down at Deri. "High General Deri, I will be making a full report to the High Council about this incident."

Deri glared at him. "I'm counting on it."

The door slid shut and Maia rushed to Deri's side. "How can they do this?" she said desperately.

At that moment an urgent chime sounded in the room.

"What is that?"

"Damn, I was hoping to get you out of the city before— "

"What Deri, what's happening?"

"That night by the fire; Liu was right. Our censors have been monitoring their hive ships for weeks, and now they're here." He turned to her and touched her cheek. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you both out of here."

* * *

Sorry it was a little late(people who don't post consistantly are my biggest petpeev on this site)! This section needed a little more revision before I sent it out to you.

Thanks!

Eveie


	16. Chapter 16

John awoke, this time on a cold floor. "What happened this time?" he said, sitting up and rubbing his head. "Where am I?"

"You are being confined." Teyla said. She was standing in front of him, and he saw a faint shimmer of a shield pass between them. "There was an—incident."

"What kind of incident?" John turned to see Elizabeth in a cell next to his. They were separated by another force field.

Teyla turned to her. "John woke up in the medical lab, and got out of bed. He wouldn't respond to any of us, and he attacked Dr. Beckett." She turned back to John. "You fractured his wrist and two of his fingers."

"No way," John said, getting to his feet, "I would never…" but he trailed off.

"If it's any consolation, I do not believe you were yourself."

"So we're being held so we won't hurt anyone else."

She nodded slowly.

John stood only a few inches from Teyla, but the barrier separated them. "This is insane. I'm not going to hurt anyone—I mean, not anyone else."

"Maybe you wouldn't." John looked at Elizabeth, and a tense silence followed.

Finally John said, "You don't think…"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Teyla move suddenly. He turned to find her with eyes closed, gently massaging her temples. "What's wrong?" he said.

"Wraith." Elizabeth said.

"Yes, but not like before. I know the Wraith are nowhere near Atlantis, but all the same…I can't explain it."

"Liu." Elizabeth said.

"The wraith girl? It must be her I sense." She sighed. "Her presence is different—softer somehow."

"Everything's all right then." John said lightly, "Liu's not going to hurt you."

"It is like I can hear her voice inside you head. She seems—sincere.

Still, it is frightening."

"Fine Teyla, if you don't believe her, then believe me. Liu is not going to hurt you, and neither are we."

She looked at John for a long time. John leaned as close as the field would allow. "Teyla, you know you can trust me."

She looked away from him and nodded. "I believe you. I will see what I can do about getting you released."

She walked to the door.

"Teyla," John said, and she turned. A long, meaningful look passed between them. "Thanks." He said at last, though he wanted to say more.

When they were alone, Elizabeth sighed heavily.

"Ditto." John replied, running his hands through his hair.

"This is incredible, but so confusing."

"Well, I was thinking something more along the lines of screwed up—and you're just realizing this now?" He paused, "Listen, we've got to figure a way out of this, before we go completely nuts."

"Or worse." Elizabeth whispered.

"What?"

"I have a bad feeling." She sounded truly frightened, "When we're in these altered states, we act out some of what happens to us—to them."

He nodded, "When I attacked Carson…I thought he was—"

"Morai. Clearly, what they do affects us here, in this time. We feel what they feel."

"And?" He said softly, but he felt that he already knew.

"John," she said, and the "what if they don't make it?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Deri, I have a bad feeling."

"Same here." He said, bringing his hands through his hair. "Something is very wrong. I spar with Morai all the time; he's nowhere near that strong."

"We have to get Liu away from here." She looked at him, and her fear was suddenly mixed with terrible sadness and regret. "We have to leave the city." There was a long silence, and she touched his cheek tenderly. "Deri, I—"

He pulled away from her and got to his feet. "I've got to get dressed. We'll swing by the armory and then we'll get your daughter back." He disappeared into the small side room. She looked herself over; she was still wearing her simple summer dress, and no shoes. She spotted Liu's backpack in the corner, rifled through it, and found a pair of her shoes. "Liu," she whispered, "You're always thinking of me."

She slipped on the shoes on just as Deri entered. He was wearing a casual shirt with the Atlantis Emblem on one shoulder. In the other arm he carried the wraith weapon. "Ready?"

She nodded, and they headed off to the armory.

The guards carried Liu back to the lab and set her on the floor in the center of the room.

"Leave us." He said.

"Head Scientist, she should be restrained." One of them said

"I can handle the child." He said, and waved him away.

Liu stood in silence, watching him. He was tearing though the room, looking for something. He tipped over a table, shattering it's fragile contents onto the floor.

"You're different." She said quietly.

Morai turned around and glared at her, his eyes cold. "The same can be said about you, little one."

"No," she said, calmly, "You've changed, or maybe something has changed you. What happened to you on that planet?"

"That is none of your concern." He turned to another crowded table, searched though it, and tipped it over.

"What are you looking for?"

He turned again and charged at her. "Do you always ask so many questions?"

She smiled suddenly, and it pushed Morai over the edge. He grabbed her by the throat with one hand and lifted her off the floor. "I am going to find a way out of this city and away from this planet, because I have learned that these Wraith are on their way." In a few long strides he crossed the room and pinned her to the wall. He stroked her cheek with one finger of his free hand. "It looks like you're family is coming to take you home." He dropped her onto the bed, and turned to the room again. A solid minute passed before he looked in her direction again. She was nowhere to be seen.

A twisted smile crossed his face and his voice dripped with a frightening sweetness. "Little one, where have you gone?" He crouched down slightly and inched towards the bed.

"I'm hiding," she said to him, "You'll never find me."

He dropped to his knees. "You shouldn't annoy me, Liu. I can be your friend."

"You were Deri's friend, but then, you're not the same person, are you?" Behind him, Liu stepped on the broken glass.

He turned sharply, but to him the room appeared empty. "Enough of these games."

"But I like this game." She said; her voice coming from another part of the room.

He spun around, looking slightly frantic. "What manner of creature are you?"

"You should know." She said, "Whatever you are, the man who you are controlling has spent a long time studying me. He knows what I can do."

"The people of this planet are foolish. They created my kind and assumed that they could control us. But how it is I that will control them."

"So he is gone then." She said with a note of sadness.

"Nothing of the host survives." As he looked around the room, his eyes settled the third table, which was standing upright. Liu let her illusion drop and he stormed towards her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said. "And I'm sorry for something else too."

He walked towards her confidently. "For what?"

"I told him, the one who you have stolen, that I was not a wraith. I lied to him, and I'm sorry."

He smiled wickedly at her. "And what difference does that make to me?" As she watched, his eyes flashed and dimmed again.

At that moment, Liu changed. All of the fear and sadness left her, and what was left was something she didn't understand; and couldn't fight. She stared at him, and smiled. "I am Wraith." She pressed her hand against his chest, and he began to scream.

* * *

Heavy right? This was a really tough chapter to write, but I hoped it turned out okay.

I love you all, and your reviews make me happy!

Thank you!

Eveie


	18. Chapter 18

"John," Elizabeth said, her voice filled with urgency, "Liu—"

"She's in trouble."

"And we have to get out of here." She got to her feet and looked around. "We're in a cargo hold." She said.

"This isn't a brig?" But as he said it, he remembered the place that they had kept Steve.

"No," she said, "The prison cells are much more secure. These tend to have—" she examined the walls of their cells closely. "—flaws." She pointed at the upper right corner of John's holding cell. "That panel. Rodney told me there's a fault. It will short out if you hit it hard enough."

John looked at the tiny panel, which was a foot and a half over his head. "Well, obviously the Ancients didn't want us using it.

"But we have to. We've got to get out of here or—" she didn't know, but she felt the irresistible urge to get out of his room, and she knew he felt it too."

He looked at her, then back at the panel, and then sighed. "We're screwed." He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. "Wait—" he pulled something out of his boot. It was a small blade.

"Deri." Elizabeth said, "I think I should make that a regulation."

John laughed. "Maybe I should give him my job." He stood up and reached for the panel. "I can't reach. I'll have to throw it." He stepped back and held the knife at eye level, lining up the shots.

"Um, You do know what you're doing, right?"

"Sure." He said, squinting, "I was drunken darts champion three hears in a row."

"Perfect." she mumbled.

He let the knife fly, and it struck the panel near the bottom edge. There was a shower of sparks and the shields died. They ran out of the room.

* * *

This is the shortest chapter ever, I know. (don't hurt me!) I've got a really big part coming up (not long exactly, just intense) and it needs more revision before I send it out to you good people.

Plus I want to drag this out a little longer...sigh...

Eveie


	19. Chapter 19

A new chime echoed through the hallway and Maia stopped dead. "What's that?"

"The proximity alarm," he said without being asked. "The Wraith are inside the city."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "But the detection system, you said it—"

"I said we could detect the Wraith a million miles away; but I didn't say that we shared it with the general population." He mumbled to himself, "Now there's not time to get away."

"How enlightened of you." She said.

When they heard a man screaming, they broke into a run. They found Liu standing on a table staring at her Wraith hand; on the ground was a dried up corpse.

"Liu!" Maia choked out.

The girl didn't look up, didn't take her eyes off her tiny hand. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream.

Deri pushed forward cautiously, one arm out in front of him, almost defensively. "Liu," he said softly, "Look at me."

She looked up, but it was as if she couldn't see him. "I—I didn't mean—"

He reached her, and held out both hands. "It will be okay Liu, but right now we have to go, okay?"

She was trembling wildly. When she didn't respond, he grabbed her around the waist and she collapsed in his arms, weeping. "I didn't mean to."

They rushed her from the room, and Deri led them though corridors. "I have a way for you both to get away from here."

Maia slowed to a stop. "What do you mean, both?"

He stopped too. "I had a friend of mine modify an escape pod." He hesitated, "It will only carry two." His gazed at her, and his eyes were filled with something she hadn't seen in a long time. "I can't come with you."

She stepped closer. "You can take another pod."

"I'm needed here." He said, but his voice was heavy with grief.

She stepped closer, and looked as if she wanted to say something more. Instead, she leaned in and kissed him softly. He leaned in as far as Liu's body would allow, and touched her face with his free hand. She pulled back, but stayed close. "Maia," he said, "I will find you again."

Liu stopped crying and reached an arm around her mother's neck. They stayed like that, silently, for a long moment before they broke apart and ran down the hall.

"Deri." Liu said, "I'm really sorry, about your friend. I don't what happened. I don't know why I—"

She met his eyes. "Liu, whatever that was; it was no longer my friend."

Suddenly, she gasped. "The Wraith—they're so close."

Maia walked in front of them, and as she rounded a corner, she was confronted by a massive Wraith. He grabbed her by the throat with one hand and hit her chest hard. The life began to flow from her.

Liu screamed, causing the Wraith to look up at her, and grinned.. In one smooth motion, Deri set Liu on the ground, swung his weapon over his shoulder and into his hands and fired. The arrow hit the Wraith an inch below his shoulder blade, nowhere near the heart. But the Wraith staggered and dropped Maia to the ground. He fired again, hitting the heart. The Wraith fell, and Liu went to her knees beside her mother.

Deri stood for an instant, weapon at the ready, before dropping his guard and sitting near Maia. There were trails of blood running from the wounds in her chest, staining her white dress. She turned her head and gazed at him though hazy eyes.

"Maia—"

"Don't, Deri. Don't bother saying I'll be okay." She smiled faintly.

Liu wailed and grabbed her mother's hands. "You will be okay!" she shouted. Maia reached up and brushed her daughters face. "My Liu." She said softly, "I've loved you since the moment you were born."

"I loved you before then." Liu replied. "So how can you leave me now?"

"You told me that we are connected, and you're right. And no matter what happens to either of us, I can never leave you."

Liu cried and held Maia's hand against her face.

"Don't worry, you will be well taken care of, because there's someone who loves you just as much."

Liu turned her eyes to Deri.

"No Maia, don't talk like this." Deri said, the fear in his voice evident.

"It's too late." She said. Her hair was rapidly graying. "You're going."

"The city—Atlantis needs me." He said hollowly.

"But Liu needs you more." She pulled one hand out of Liu's grip and slid her fingers down his cheek. "I need you."

He hesitated, but then steeled his resolve. "No, We're getting you out of here." As gently as he could, he picked her up. She cried out and Liu whimpered sympathetically. "It's going to be okay." He said softly, as if he was trying to convince himself. They rounded one final corner and stopped at a blank section of wall. He looked at Liu, "It' time to go, are you ready?"

She nodded, and Deri shifted Maia slightly to press his hand against a hidden panel. A section of the wall slid away, revealing a dimly lit staircase. He practically ran down it with Liu close behind, and they stepped out onto the narrow walkway that bordered the water. "I hid the pod in one of the secondary bays, so we could have access to it."

"Deri," Maia whispered, "Stop."

"No."

"Put me down."

He hesitated, and set her as gently as she could against the city wall. She seemed to be aging before his eyes. "Maia—"

"You're going." She said again.

"No!" Liu screamed suddenly. "No mommy, I won't leave you—I won't go!" She wept.

"Of course not Liu." Maia said, "Come here."

The little girl fell into her mother's arms, weeping. "I won't leave you!"

She whispered, "We are closer than anyone else in this whole universe. Always remember that, and we will always be together."

She nodded solemnly, and whimpered, "I love you mom."

"I love you Liu. I would gladly go though all of this again to be with you." She brushed the tears from Liu's cheek. She glanced at Deri, who was pulling the pod out from a hidden chamber just beneath the water.

She gave Liu one last hug and a kiss, and she turned her attention to Deri. He knelt at her side and reached for his hands. He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I never thought I could love anyone else." Maia whispered. "And yet here you are." She laughed, and despite himself, he smiled back. "I should have told you before. I love you."

"I love you too, I think I loved you from that moment on the path."

"Listen to me Deri." She said, holding his face close. "I need you to take care of Liu."

He glanced up at the towering city; the place that had been his home all his life, the place where he had fought against the wraith, the place where he buried his father and brother, and he realized that all of it meant so little. He met Liu's pale blue eyes, and he felt that his heart would burst. He looked down at Maia, who was smiling again. "Of course I will."

The chime changed once more. "Oh no, they're submerging the city."

"Then it is time for you to go." He started to object once more, but she put one hand to his lips. "Both of you have given me so much love, and in it I have found peace. I would ask nothing more from my life." He leaned forward and kissed her one last time. Liu stepped forward and hugged them both tightly and kissed her daughters cheeks.

The whole city shuddered and very slowly began to slip into the water. "Go." She said.

"I meant what I said." Deri whispered, kissing her forehead. "Somehow, I will find you again."

He stepped away and picked Liu up of the ledge, which was slowly submerging. He lay down in the small pod and settled Liu on his chest. She began to cry again as the transparent shield slid closed over them. Maia leaned and touched her hand to the top. She smiled at them one last time. He brushed his fingers against hers before pushing the launch button within the pod.


	20. Chapter 20

John woke and found himself soaked to the skin. The opened his eyes and saw the night sky. As his senses slowly returned, he heard someone mumbling worriedly. He sat up and found Rodney leaning over Elizabeth, apparently performing CPR.

"What happened?" John asked groggily.

Rodney ignored him. "Come on Elizabeth." He leaned forward and breathed three long breaths into her mouth. As John watched her chest rise and fall, he clamored over to her and touched her cheek with one finger. "Come back." He whispered.

Rodney resumed chest compressions. John glanced at him; he looked frantic but focused. "Come on Elizabeth!" he shouted suddenly, "Breathe!"

Suddenly her eyes flew open and she gasped. Her back arched slightly as she coughed, she collapsed back, breathing heavily.

Rodney still hovered over her, stunned. After another moment, she reached out and held his face in her hands. "Rodney," she hesitated, almost not sure that he was real. Then she smiled. "My hero."

"Um, are you okay?" he said.

"Yes, I'm alright." She turned her head slowly, catching sight of John. "You?"

"Fine—damp—but fine." He squeezed some of the water from his hair.

Rodney leaned back, reluctantly pulling himself from Elizabeth's hands. "So, please tell me this craziness is over."

She sighed deeply, "Maybe."

Elizabeth was amazed by how things could change with time. She was walking though the corridors at night, just like she had less than two weeks before. But she felt completely different. She passed the same balcony as before, and found John leaning against the railing, staring up at the sky.

Silently she moved to his side. "Can't sleep?"

He sighed. "I'm exhausted actually." He said, "But I almost expect it to start up again when I close my eyes."

She leaned against the railing and sighed. "Are you disappointed when it doesn't?"

"I guess so." He said heavily, "I miss Maia, and Liu. But what was the point of all this?"

"I don't know. But whatever it was, it knew when to let me go."

"Before it killed you?"

Yes. Something intelligent is definitely behind this. I have a feeling when we're meant to know, we'll find out."

"And in the meantime?"

"We wait."

John sighed and slumped slightly. "Wait for word from home; wait for the Wraith, is that all we're ever going to do?"

She smiled. "We'll have to wait and see." He smiled too, and looked over at her, and suddenly the mood sobered. John cleared his throat and looked away. "I think all of that stuff stopped working when the visions stopped. I'll bet Rodney has barricaded himself in there and is going nuts at this very moment."

She smiled at the thought. "Rodney is—a good man." She said. She stepped back and then suddenly forward again, wrapping her arms around his waist. She leaned his back, and listened to the soft sound of his heart. They were still for a long time; nothing needed to be said.

She released him suddenly and stepped back. "Goodnight John." She said, filling the words with meaning. She turned and disappeared into the dark hall.

Author's notes:

Alas my friends, our time is at an end. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it means so much to me!

First, I would like to say that I am not an Elizabeth/John Shipper. I'm really leaning towards John and Teyla and Rodney/Elizabeth shippiness (they'd be so cute together!), but it's really too early in the series to tell. But I really felt that Elizabeth and John were the ones who would fit into this particular story, and it just sort of turned out this way. Besides, the little sparks of jealousy from Rodney were fun. And don't worry; their relationships will come into play in the sequel (as soon as I get the time to write it).

I believe that the names you give characters actually has an effect on the path their character takes, or at least should be a reflection of their path, which is why I choose the names carefully. Maia is Latin for nurse, and mother, so I thought that was appropriate. Deri, is just a jump away from Derry, which is Celtic for great lover, or an ancient hero (Get it? it's a little joke). I got the name Liu (voice) from a thousand year old Chinese legend (that I found in the pamphlet in the first twelve girls band CD) about a Liu San Jie, a young woman who sang to the people in her village and uplifted their spirits with her beautiful voice. When a terrible landlord demanded her hand in marriage, she escaped into the mountains. When he found her, she defiantly threw herself off a cliff and ascended into heaven and became a fairy. This story talks about a beautiful character, which Liu is, and the importance of doing what you know is right. I love that story. Since we're on the subject of Twelve Girls Band, I really connected with another of their songs while I was writing this fic. Its from Greatest Hits (CD 1) and its called spirit dance. It's instrumental, but it really spoke to me, and I think it really speaks to the story. If you ever get an opportunity to hear it, then listen! It's so pretty.

Lastly, I want to talk to you about the title. This comes from what I think is a little known Alanis Morrisette song. It's from her CD/DVD combo "Feast on Scraps". I got it at a used CD store and it had the 'For Promotional Use Only' thing stamped on it. It may not be strictly legal, but it's a good CD, so I don't care. I can't really say why, but I see little pieces of all the characters in this song.

**"Offer"**

Who   
Who am I to be blue  
Look at my family and fortune  
Look at my friends and my house

Who   
Who am I to feel deadened  
Who am I to feel spent  
Look at my health and my money

And where  
Where do I go to feel good  
Why do I still look outside me  
When clearly I've seen it won't work

Is it my calling to keep on when I'm unable  
And is it my job to be selfless extraordinaire  
And my generosity has me disabled  
By this my sense of duty to offer

And why  
Why do I feel so ungrateful  
Me who is far beyond survival   
Me who see life as an oyster

Is it my calling to keep on when I'm unable  
And is it my job to be selfless extraordinaire  
And my generosity has me disabled  
By this my sense of duty to offer

And how  
How dare I rest on my laurels  
How dare I ignore an outstretched hand  
How dare I ignore a third world country

Is it my calling to keep on when I'm unable  
And is it my job to be selfless extraordinaire  
And my generosity has me disabled  
By this my sense of duty to offer

Who   
Who am I to be blue

THANK YOU ALL A THOUSAND TIMES FOR READING!

Love You!

Eveie


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